While the Columbia football coaching staff spent this week on the road recruiting, the players were finishing up their last few days of the team’s spring workout program.

They just finished testing this week, giving them each concrete looks at where they improved in the weight room this spring and what areas in training they still need to improve on. With workouts complete, the Lions will now turn their attention to school as they finish papers, projects and finals before summer break.

Before that break, however, each player will meet with Coach Mangurian for exit interviews. Coach Mangurian will break down how they see each player’s role and what type of gains they are expected to make over the summer. Each will have very specific skills they are expected to develop and master before training camp.

The summer program begins May 28, and about half the team is staying through the summer to work out at Columbia’s facilities. Most of the players that aren’t staying in New York for the summer will return to campus on July 6 along with the incoming freshman class to finish the team’s offseason program. The staff has already given detailed workout regimens to the first-years and returning players that aren’t staying the whole summer. This should give them the tools to meet the expectations established in the exit interviews.

The coaches are excited to see the progress the team has made in the few short weeks since Bob Gilmartin took over as the Director of Sports Performance for Football. The summer programs will help them continue that progress, and these exit interviews give the players their first look at what work needs to be done to prepare for training camp.